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Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
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Sunday, June 21. 2020Cape Cod in June, with a few photosIt's been decades since we spent time on the Cape in June, mainly because our annual family weeks are in August. This was a Father's Day gift. June is better. Too early for swimming, but perfect for the outdoor fun that August is too warm for. No skeeters. Also, few vacationers. The birding is better in August, with all of the travellers heading down from the north. Still, Eagles and Ospreys and nesting herons. Nothing special except the Terrapins digging their eggs and the fox trying to find their nests for breakfast eggs. We opted for a marsh-side cottage on Lieutenant Island, a quiet corner which is only accessible during lower tides.
More pics etc below the fold - Continue reading "Cape Cod in June, with a few photos" Happy Father's DayI hope all our readers who are fathers enjoy this day with their families. My father and mother divorced when I was 8, though he'd already left the house when I was 6. For a good portion of my life, my memories of him were of weekend visitations, driving around with 4 kids in Triumph TR5, (2 in the front, 2 in the 'back', which wasn't really a seat). There was a period of several years when he lived in Micronesia with his wife and my half-sister, so our direct contact was minimal. By the time I was 14, I was usually taking a bus to see him for weekends, once a month or so, or for a week in the summer. Eventually I spent three full summers with him while I worked at the Jersey Shore. I was in college, and it was a good place to spend my summer months. Divorce is difficult on everyone involved. I remember spending time being angry at my father for leaving. I give my mother a lot of credit for knowing that it's important for children to have a father in their lives, encouraging and enabling us to take time to see him. Even scolding us when we spoke ill of him. Eventually, as I got older and more educated, my relationship with my father became much closer. I am lucky to still have him around, and I will be seeing him later today for the first time in 4 months (thanks to this lockdown). In a way, I may have been lucky, as my mother remarried, and I wound up having a step-father (though he was not officially a step-father as I still had my father). A tough WWII vet, a good man who did his able best to raise 6 children, 4 of which were not his own. He passed 15 years ago. I was able to have conversations about the war, the Depression (which he grew up during) and learned about real estate (his profession). He was a do-it-yourself man, unfortunately not very skilled, but taught me how to do plumbing, auto, and minor electrical work. There were things he passed on to me that my father never could have. Being a father has no template. We are certainly not perfect. Hopefully, our mistakes are good learning experiences, for both us and our children. Today will be a good day to share some of the better stories, both good and bad, with our fathers or our children. Of course, we can do that any day, but it's nice to have a day to really focus. Enjoy your day with your family. From today's Lectionary: Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.Matthew 10:24-39 10:24 "A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 10:25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! 10:26 "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 10:27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 10:28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 10:30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 10:31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. 10:32 "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 10:33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. 10:34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 10:35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 10:36 and one's foes will be members of one's own household. 10:37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 10:38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 10:39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. Saturday, June 20. 2020Polpo
Compared to shelled molluscs, these creatures are advanced and have multiple brains. As far as eating goes, with squid we gut them and eat the rest, but with polpo we cook just the feet. I have never heard of eating an octopus head and guts as we happily do with clams and oysters (which have no heads, really. No eyes - but scallops have sort-of eyes...). You can read about octopus anatomy here.
Off to a Fast Start
CHOP (was CHAZ) is going so well with the whole "peace and harmony" thing.
On a related note, the name change is meaningful. A visit to Maskachusetts, and meeting a real Karen
Why Maskachusetts? You can imagine. Masks in cars, masks walking the dog, masks walking the beaches, masks on runners and bikers. Crazy. Well, we decided to do a stretch of the Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT). Rent a bike and off you go. It is wonderful, riding through marshes salt and fresh, antique villages where you can stop for coffee, woodlands. It's the old railbed for the train from Boston to Provincetown but as of now the relatively flat route is only Wellfleet down to Dennis. Anyway, at one road intersection I pulled to a stop behind a distinguished professor-looking guy who scolded me "Too close, too close." I said "Sorry, I did not expect you to stop." He raised his voice: "It's not a fucking joke." By then, Mrs. BD was on the other side of the crossing with that guy's wife, who put her arm over her face and yelled at her "Corona, Corona!" Yelled like a crazy lady. Mind you, Mrs. BD and I are fairly polite and refined people, but Mrs. BD had had it and responded to the lady "Finally, I have met a real Karen." We went off ahead of them to their relief. She may not have known what a "Karen" is. By the way, neither of that couple had a mask on. Saturday morning links
The Climate Campaign Is Less And Less About The Climate Airlines Ban Alcohol On Planes In Response To COVID-19 Activists Fight Racism By Driving All People Of Color Out Of Pop Culture Prof Jacobson: “How long it goes on, I don’t know. I’m certainly not going to quit.” Harvard Prof Apologizes After Suggesting Biden Should Pick VP Based on Accomplishments White House Takes Action to Address Racial Disparities It's tough trying to keep track of the crazy emanating from Democrats Oakland Mayor: It Doesn’t Matter If The “Nooses” Found In Our Public Park Turned Out To Be Hand Swings Tucker on the incredible popularity of Black Lives Matter FINALLY! Fauci Admits Widespread Lockdowns Not Needed In U.S. Thank you, RogerFriday, June 19. 2020Horowitz in Moscow, 19860:00 Interview with Horowitz 6:54 Scarlatti, Sonata in B Minor L.33 11:12 Scarlatti, Sonata in E Major L.23 15:05 Scarlatti, Sonata in E Major L.224 18:21 Mozart, Sonata in C Major K330 36:30 Rachmaninoff, Prelude in G major Op.32 No.5 39:22 Rachmaninoff, Prelude in G sharp minor op.32 no.12 42:34 Scriabin, Etude in C sharp minor op.2 no.1 45:12 Scriabin, Etude in D sharp minor op.8 no.12 49:10 [Horowitz talks about his life] 58:34 Schubert, Impromptu in B flat op142 no.3
On a menu (Mac's), in WellfleetChoose a fish: Pan seared Cod Then choose your sauce: Lemon Beurre Blanc Bach's acousticsWhat Did Bach Sound Like to Bach? Scholars look to recover the original soundscape of the composer’s work
We must stop the great unraveling
Below the bar is a strong statement of our values and politics by the editors of Commentary, actions to prevent the great unraveling of America. Please read it, and pass it on.
Continue reading "We must stop the great unraveling" Friday Notes From All Over Maggie's Farm never went anywhere, thank you very much. Dogs’ Eyes Have Changed Since Humans Befriended Them We didn't "befriend" them. We domesticated them. You know, to be in charge of us. Bees Can Sense the Electric Fields of Flowers Me too, given enough drugs. Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive’ The author is obviously too young to remember Jimmy Carter. China charges two detained Canadians with suspected espionage I'm trying to picture what Canadian James Bond would look like. Wearing a denim tuxedo while playing baccarat in Cannes would be a dead giveaway. How Much Should You Pay Your Software Engineers to Ensure They Stick Around? The answer, as always, is "more." NASA rushing to complete Mars launch before planet moves out of range. I've already moved out of range, thank you very much. Mars can look out for itself. Pay up or a dingo will eat your website. This Couple Creates A Stunning Garden Pub And Everything Inside Of It Is Handmade Zoomers think they've invented a 1950s rec room. Instagram at 11. Most Enjoyable Jobs for Older Workers A very weird list written by someone who's heard of older workers, but never met one, and who doesn't know that you don't put a period after each item in a bulleted list. I noticed "editor" isn't on your list. Tesla is getting ready to buy in Texas P.T. Musk is a weathervane, not the weather. That's the way the wind is blowing. Exclusive: DoorDash valued at $16 billion after new funding round They should have borrowed even more. Think about how much they'd be worth if they borrowed a trillion. San Francisco’s district attorney sues DoorDash for alleged unfair business practices I hope 16 billion is enough to cover the fine. University cheating might be up — but don't just blame students I don't. Turkey Now Has Swarming Suicide Drones It Could Export I saw Swarming Suicide Drones open up for Deep Purple at Madison Square Garden back in the 70s. Great show. Have a great Friday, everyone! Don't forget to take down your Covid decorations before you put up your Kwanzaa tree.
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Thursday, June 18. 2020CHAZ Tourism VideoWhat has CHAZ (or is it CHOP? They grow up so fast!) done for us? CHAZ has done us a favor by highlighting some truths about the far left. Notes From The Underground
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You imagine no doubt, gentlemen, that I want to amuse you. You are mistaken in that, too. I am by no means such a mirthful person as you imagine, or as you may imagine; however, irritated by all this babble (and I feel that you are irritated) you think fit to ask me who I am--then my answer is, I'm Roger Bosso. On to today's carefully curated random drivel: When Security Takes a Backseat to Productivity
It's almost like the security services didn't want any oversight. I wonder what they were doing. On second thought, no I don't.
FBI: Investigators used Etsy, LinkedIn to make arrest in torching of Philadelphia police vehicles
Lore has since left a one-star review of the food served at the Philly police lockup on Yelp. Wirecard Delays Report Again Due to Missing $2.1 Billion
Everybody calm down. The cleaning crew probably just removed one of the Post-It notes from Karen's screen, and she can't remember where she put the two billion without it. She'll remember eventually. How To Protect Your Data When Renting a Car
Never mind my data. Can someone help me refold this Rand McNally map? I've been trying since 1987, and I still can't get it back in the glove box. Exclusive: Massive spying on users of Google's Chrome shows new security weakness
As is usual with modern news stories, this one doesn't have a list of the offending extensions, or a link to find one. You know, information you could use. 20-Year-Old Robinhood Customer Dies By Suicide After Seeing A $730,000 Negative Balance
Suicide: The permanent solution to your temporary problems. Stop Sabotaging Your Career With Short Stints
Hey, it's not up to me how fast I get fired. Big Tech Won’t Be the Same If Everyone Works From Home
That's funny. Normal people call "direct financial incentives" wages. We call "output-based monitoring" work. We call "esprit de corps" bullsh*t. You'll get used to it, poindexters. Tesla reportedly shipping Model Ys with significant manufacturing defects
I guess this means that Tesla is finally a real car company, because that sounds just like a Chevy to me. This Is Our Best Look Yet At The Shadowy Hellfire Missile With Pop-Out Sword Blades
Cool. Will sharks with fricken laser beams attached to their heads go into production soon? Well, there's today raft of nonsense. I hope you all enjoy a Thursday filled with cheap happiness or lofty suffering, whichever you prefer.
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Wednesday, June 17. 2020What Do You Do With a Stolen van Gogh?Octave Durham, who went to prison for stealing two paintings by the artist, explains the difficulties encountered in this line of work.
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Etruscans in 321 BCThere Are Two Kinds of People. People Who Divide People Into Two Kinds of People...
There are now only two kinds of people extant in the US. Let's call them Goofus and Gallant. No one's going to ring a bell and tell Gallant the rules don't matter any more so let it rip on Goofus. No one is going to ring a bell and tell Goofus to make a frontal assault on Gallant, which would look like a synchronized swimmer turned welterweight punching Mike Tyson at the weigh in. Goofus thinks he has the upper hand right now because no one's stopping him, but he's being humored, nothing more. His minders are using him to get the upper hand. That's a different thing entirely. They'll get as far as they can with this nonsense, but eventually things will strike a new Overton equilibrium. Gallant will put up with kneeling to see his football game, and maybe notice a decided lack of stars and bars on race cars next year. He'll try to follow the new, very weird rules as best he can. Goofus will go back to handing out flyers from card tables in the park while normal people avert their eyes and scurry past. Let's examine today's news items through the Goofus and Gallant prism: Shopify goes after Amazon with new Walmart deal
Goofus would rather die than shop at Walmart. Goofus loves the proletariat. It's people he can't stand, and people shop at Walmart. Gallant's wife shops on Etsy and at Costco because have you seen the way the proletariat dresses? Google bans website ZeroHedge from its ad platform over comments on protest articles
This is what Goofus' handlers are up to. Zero Hedge is low hanging fruit. Gallant works at the Federalist and is busy doing whatever Google tells them to. How else could they afford season tickets to the kneeling sessions at the Washington Indigenous Downtrodden People football games? You Can Now Buy Spot the Robot Dog—If You’ve Got $74,500
Goofus will continue binge-watching Westworld and wait for a robot girlfriend. Gallant has a Belgian Malinois that cost half that. Facebook to let users turn off political adverts
Everyone who works at Facebook is a Goofus and will gleefully charge Gallant for Trump ads that never get shown to anyone.
Goofus doesn't care as long as it's not quinine. Gallant doesn't care because he keeps his parents away from nursing homes run by Andrew Cuomo. US: Company provided subpar steel for Navy submarine hulls
Goofus hopes the subs sink anyway. Gallant wants his money back. Submariners would like to take Elaine for a shakedown cruise. Strapped to the hull.
Scientists Edited Human Embryos in the Lab, and It Was a Disaster
As long as human embryos are destroyed, Goofus is happy. Gallant's ex-wife donated the embryos. Youtube’s Bitcoin Scam Problem Appears To Be Getting Worse
Goofus works at Google and is too busy policing Zero Hedge to police YouTube scams. All of Gallant's money is tied up in ammo bought at Cabela's with cash so he's safe. Diluting blood plasma rejuvenates tissue, reverses aging in mice
Goofus is thirty-three years old and dresses like a toddler. Old age never enters his mind, except to vote for Bernie so he can collect Social Security before he graduates college. Gallant loses so much blood at his construction job that this treatment would be superfluous. Antitrust: Commission opens investigations into Apple's App Store rules
Goofus adores Apple and the EU in equal measure, so his head might explode. Gallant has heard of Europe, but isn't quite sure if it's a real place or not, so he doesn't care one way or the other. Have a gallant Wednesday, everyone!
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Tuesday, June 16. 2020Moons are migrating awayAnd in a few billion years (not too long) all of the planets will be consumed by our Sun's inevitable explosion. The knowledge that all of human history, earth history, critters, human creations and thoughts, etc will all be instantly erased is a big thought, ain't it? So where to invest one's money, long-term?
Turtle SoupTuesday Is Just Monday's Ugly Sister
Well, it's Tuesday. There's no "fresh week" feeling to Tuesday. You don't unwrap a Tuesday. The package is already broken open, and inexpertly taped back up, like most of the tools at Harbor Freight. In geologic terms, it's really not any closer to Friday than Monday was, so you can't even lie to yourself about being one day closer to the weekend with any gusto. Tuesday just is. Let's get on with it. Hacker Dosed With LSD While Restoring Historical Synth
My car mechanic took LSD once. He said he had an auto body experience. AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine enters phase 2/3 clinical trial
And just like all flu vaccines, there will be cardboard signs outside of every pharmacy and supermarket offering free flu shots, which no one will get. Six Former eBay Employees Charged with Aggressive Cyberstalking Campaign Targeting Natick Couple
It sounds like everyone involved works part time at Hardbodies
Once upon a time and a very good time it was H.G. Wells was coming down along the road and this Wells that was down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby Joyce and told him he was a jerk. The biggest myth of modern nutrition: healthy plant-based diets
Want to go vegan? Cut out the middleman and become a Seventh-Day Adventist India says three soldiers killed in 'violent faceoff' on border with China
Both sides have nuclear weapons, but they're bashing each other's heads in with sticks and stones. A parable for our times. Why abandoned domain names are so dangerous
Domain names are like herpes. If you don't want to have it forever, don't get it in the first place. New Research: There Could Be 36 Alien Civilizations in Our Galaxy
And according to new research I just finished, Blake Lively could be trying to phone me right now.
Cameo now lets people pay up to $15K to have a Zoom call with a celebrity
That's funny. I would pay five bucks to avoid a Zoom call with Tony Hawk or Brett Favre. We Shouldn’t Sit in the Stands Anymore
Everyone already refuses to sit in the stands at their kids' Little League games. They're all on the field having fistfights with the umpires and the other parents. Have a milquetoast, non-denominational, vibe-less, nondescript, average Tuesday everyone. It's the best you can hope for.
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Monday, June 15. 2020CHAZ, in ContextThe larger French Revolution era extended all the way until the end of the Franco-Prussian War. This current situation, as I'd written about the other day, is much like the French Revolution. The general approach of this crowd isn't too dissimilar to the Spanish Inquisition, either. If you're not in, you're out, and you're going to have to be punished. They claim their 'goal' is peace and freedom. They prefer to see people suffer. They have marketed themselves to their constituency well, shifting everyone's eyes away from historical precedent. 1906 in San FranciscoGet Thee To a Mummery. I'll Pass
Hello all. Roger de Hauteville here, sitting in for Bird Dog. He's gone for his yearly sojourn to get a flea bath and his nails clipped. If he plays his cards right, maybe he'll even get a belly rub from Mrs. Bird Dog. While it's true I'm "sitting in," there will be, thankfully, no sit-ins on my watch. I'm Sicilian, remember? Haven't you seen the Godfather movies? We don't do sit ins. We don't riot. We don't hold placards and march in a circle. We say nothing about our affairs to strangers, and precious little about them even to our friends. If any action is required, we visit you in the night, and whisper your transgressions in your ear. These remonstrations beat demonstrations every time. Act accordingly. Woman in China, 45, made $589,800 by buying insurance on flights she predicted would get delayed ACH payments cost less. Will online shoppers ever switch? Zoom Acknowledges It Suspended Activists' Accounts At China's Request This is the word that exists in all human languages, according to research. Scientists close in on 12-billion-year-old signal from the end of the universe's 'dark age' The First Woman PhD in Computer Science Was a Nun Popular Pirate Sites Slowly ‘Disappear’ From Google’s Top Search Results Kids these days. You're pirates! Look up the word in the dictionary. Banks don't have drive-up windows reserved for bank robbers. Have a little gumption. It's no fun stealing movies if they make it too easy, anyway. Archaeology: Thracian pit sanctuary found in Bulgaria’s Bourgas Astronauts say riding Falcon 9 rocket was “totally different” from the space shuttle Engineers find neat way to turn waste carbon dioxide into useful material
Have a great Monday, everyone!
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